One of the things I have loved most about being a parent, and missed most as my babies got older, is the toddler vocabulary.

Both of my kids called cupcakes “pupcakes”. Spaghetti was “sketti” and “passketti”. That thing you eat in the morning? Breaktess, or brefftess, depending on whose kid was eating it.

And it isn’t all about the food, either. Between my kids and my extended family, some favorite kid vocabulary has included:

cornbread=bulldozer (we have NO IDEA why my son called bulldozers “cornbread”)

moak=milk

Ungyon=onion

Cousint=cousin

pegetsus=Not the winged horse. This was my sister saying “spaghetti”

boatatoes=potatoes

mops=moths

yogurant=deodorant

yogurant=yogurt

front butt=(girls)–this needs no explanation

chyness=see above (this was a toddler trying to say the correct anatomical name of the front butt)

elbows=boobs

apples=boobs

pillows=boobs

I think it funny that even as toddlers, boys give multiple names to boobs. Then they became tah-tahs, nah-nahs, and boobies. After that, was all down hill from there. In our house, we have settled on boobs, as it is not offensive, and is still “fun” for them to say, apparently.

Still seeming to be oriented towards breasts, my youngest son wants to eat boneless, skinless chicken breasts every day. Fried. Grilled. Roasted. However he can get it. Unless he can have pizza. And since he is very picky about h0w his chicken is prepared, it has made for some pretty repetitive meals, and found me playing short order cook to avoid such boredom for the rest of us.

Taking a cue from my Captain Crunch Fried Shrimp, Max suggested we try frying some chicken tenders in Captain Crunch. Then, based on his other obsession–Andy’s Hot Fries—he suggested we try that too. This opened up a whole bunch of possibilities, and some fun experimental chicken frying ensued. They were all very good. The boys ate them up so fast I couldn’t keep any on the platter while I cooked the rest. My favorites are either shrimp or chicken fried in Captain Crunch, and the chicken fried in Funyuns. Really incredible crunch and flavor. The boys really liked the both the Andy’s Hot Fries chicken, and the Funyun chicken. You be the judge…

Heat the oil to 375*, or medium high in a skillet. Combine flour and Cajun seasoning. Dredge the chicken or shrimp in flour, then in beaten egg, then in crushed cereal or chips. Fry for a few minutes on each side, until golden brown. Serve with choice of sauce for dipping.

I loved this post for so many reasons. One – the fact that everything goes back to boobs in your house. Two – the recipes sound off the wall yet yummy. And three – my kids butchered so many words growing up, it made me think about all the hilarious things they used to say. Great post.

Tried to post once, but it got lost in the ether somewhere. Anyway… Loved this post. One – the fact that everything goes back to boobs in your house. That’s hilarious. Two – I wouldn’t have tried the ingredients you tried with the chicken. I think they’re odd, but fascinating. My family would probably love them. Can’t wait to try them. Three – My kids butchered so many words when they were young. This post reminded me of those days. It was a great reminder. Thanks for the wonderful post.

Seems silly but the only name I recognize in the list of coatings is Captain Crunch. I think I’ve heard of Funyuns (never had one), I think I might have had a Muncho chip once, but the Andy’s is totally foreign to me.
My version of chicken nuggets is dipped in ranch dressing and then rolled in panko bread crumbs, baked in the oven.
Oh… in my family the pet name for breasts, besides boobs, was cajungas, the girls, the padding, the shelf. Can you tell it was a girl-heavy family?

Elbows and apples? LOL I thought that was weird then I remembered that my husband will every once in a while cop a feel and when I call him on it will look innocent and say he was just rubbing my arm affectionately. Guys are weird. Your recipe for the Captain Crunch, Funyun….well all of it….sounds intriguing. I’m going to have to try it!

I miss when the human anatomy to my kids was just silly and not to a point where they know that some of the anatomy is used differently. 🙂 I’m worried with my son being older now- he gets this totally flirty smile on his face even if the woman is just on TV. He’s definetaly going to be a boob boy! It makes me nervous!

I completely relate to the sense of loss when the kids get too old to provide us with these gems malapropisms. I still remember most of my children’s and a few of my younger cousins’ mispronounciations. I’m amazed at how early boys get fixated on female “mams.”

I’ve never heard of Andy’s Hot Fries, but the chicken in crushed Funyuns sounds delicious and I’m looking forward to trying it. I think pork chops and beef cube steak would be great coated with Funyuns too.

This is priceless! I’m not even going to tell my boyfriend that I read it. I’m just going to start smashing up Cap’n Crunch and let him think I’m crazy before he realizes it is pure genius… 🙂 then I’ll tell him.

Wow! These recipes sound like fun. My husband, who is a big fan of ‘Chopped’ would tell you that you have a way with the mystery ingredients. 🙂
Of course, looking at you word exchanges made me smile. My sister used to call orange juice ‘oh dear!’. No one is sure where that came from.

I literally laughed out loud when I read “yogurant” was a multi-tasking word. I used to try and barter with my parents (at a very young age) and I’d ask them if we could “goatchiate” —negotiate–about play time, how much food I actually had to finish, if I could swap out the broccoli for some other vegetable, etc. BTW, that fried chicken looks AMAZING. Cooking is not my forte, but I always enjoy a good experiment. Great post!